1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a process for applying electronic components to a printed product and to a device for applying electronic components, which serves preferably to integrate electronic or electrical components into printed products.
2. Description of the Related Art
The market is demanding to an increasing extent that printed products be provided with expanded functionalities which allow interaction between the printed product and the consumer or interaction between the printed product and automatic data acquisition devices. An example is the printed barcode, which carries information about the product and can be read by a suitable reader. The disadvantages of the printed barcode are that there must be visual contact between the barcode and the reader and that the data code is limited and cannot be dynamically modified. RFID (radio-frequency identification device) chips, however, offer the possibility of dynamic data detection and can also be read without visual contact.
A process for producing RFID transponders at favorable cost is known from various patent publications, such as WO 2005/078648 A, according to which a plurality of antennas is printed on a sheet with several panels, after which the sheet is cut into individual panels in a processing step such as punching downstream from the printing process. The antennas on the individual panels are then each provided with a chip or with a chip on an auxiliary carrier (or “strap”) in a separate device.
A typical applicator system in combination with print applications is described in WO 2005/013179 A. The device is used to print on at least one continuously traveling web, where the device serves at least one device for the continuous transfer of individual transponders or parts of transponders based on the functional principle of radio frequency identification. The disadvantages of this solution are that the components are transferred to a continuous web and that the transponders or parts of the transponders are applied during the printing process. Most packages, however, are fabricated out of sturdy material to protect the product and to ensure safe storage, but such material is difficult to roll up. Normally, therefore, such materials are processed in the form of sheets. Another disadvantage of an applicator system which works in cooperation with a continuous web, furthermore, is that in most cases several panels are printed next to each other. It is therefore necessary in this case to provide several applicator systems and to set them up next to each other. The number of applicators required, furthermore, can also change as a function of the size of the panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,544 B1 discloses a combination of printing and RF tag application (radio frequency antenna and chip). A process for producing a label is described, according to which an RF tag, consisting of an antenna and a chip, is applied to the rear surface of a printed label. The process does not involve the application of a chip to a printed antenna; instead, a tag, which consists of an antenna and a chip, is applied to the rear surface of the label. This means that the cost advantages of printing the antenna directly on the substrate cannot be realized. In addition, this solution is based on a continuous production process, which is difficult to transfer to a process for producing folding boxes.
DE 10 2005 006 978 B3 describes an applicator system in which the semiconductor elements or interposers are held on a flexible, continuous carrier belt. The semiconductor element or the interposer is fixed to the carrier belt by heating elements. An endless belt travels around the heating elements. Here, too, the application of semiconductor elements on an endless carrier belt is described; the use of the process for individual products is not described.
US 2004/0036041 discloses a device and a process for the production of flip-chip modules. First, an adhesive is applied to a continuous carrier belt. Then a chip is positioned on the belt by an automatic pick-and-place machine. A synchronized pressing tool is used next to exert pressure on the chip. Simultaneously, additional energy such as that of radiation can be applied to accelerate the curing of the adhesive. This patent, too, speaks of a continuous carrier belt, not of application to individual printed products. Another disadvantage of the selected application is that only a limited processing speed can be achieved with a pick-and-place machine, and this limited speed is not sufficient for the throughput of a folding box manufacturer.